- Source
- Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.8-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.2.11-4.2.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-09-24
Anecdotes concerning Xenocrates' taciturnity and dedication, an extensive catalogue of his writings, his near-enslavement for unpaid alien tax and rescue by Demetrius, his headship of the Academy and death after tripping over a basin, followed by a list of other men of the same name.
Εἰπόντος δὲ Διονυσίου πρὸς Πλάτωνα ὡς ἀφαιρήσεται αὐτοῦ τὸν τράχηλον, παρὼν οὗτος καὶ δείξας τὸν ἴδιον, οὐκ ἄν γε, ἔφη, τὶς πρότερον τούτου.1 φασὶ καὶ Ἀντιπάτρου ποτὲ ἐλθόντος εἰς Ἀθήνας καὶ ἀσπασαμένου αὐτόν, μὴ πρότερον ἀντιπροσαγορεῦσαι πρὶν ἢ τὸν λόγον ὃν ἔλεγε διαπεράνασθαι. ἀτυφότατος δὲ ὢν πολλάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἑαυτῷ ἐμελέτα, καὶ ὥραν μίαν, φασὶν, ἀπένεμε σιωπῇ. Καὶ πλεῖστα ὅσα καταλέλοιπε συγγράμματα καὶ ἔπη καὶ παραινέσεις, ἅ ἐστι ταῦτα· Περὶ φύσεως α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′. Περὶ σοφίας ς′. Περὶ πλούτου α′. Ἀρκὰς α′. Περὶ τοῦ ἀορίστου α′.
When Dionysius said to Plato that he would cut off his head, Xenocrates, who was present, pointed to his own neck and said: "No one, at any rate, would do so before this one." They say also that when Antipater once came to Athens and greeted him, he did not return the greeting before finishing the argument he was stating. Being completely devoid of vanity, he often during the day meditated by himself, and assigned, they say, one hour to silence. And he has left behind an immense number of treatises, verses, and exhortations, which are these: On Nature, six books. On Wisdom, six books. On Wealth, one book. Arcas, one book. On the Indefinite, one book.
Περὶ τοῦ παιδίου α′. Περὶ ἐγκρατείας α′. Περὶ τοῦ ὠφελίμου α′. Περὶ τοῦ ἐλευθέρου α′. Περὶ θανάτου α′. Περὶ ἑκουσίου α′. Περὶ φιλίας α′ β′. Περὶ ἐπιεικείας α′. Περὶ τοῦ ἐναντίου α′ β′. Περὶ εὐδαιμονίας α′ β′. Περὶ τοῦ γράφειν α′. Περὶ μνήμης α′. Περὶ τοῦ ψεύδους α′. Καλλικλῆς α′. Περὶ φρονήσεως α′ β′. Οἰκονομικὸς α′. Περὶ σωφροσύνης α′. Περὶ δυνάμεως νόμου α′. Περὶ πολιτείας α′. Περὶ ὁσιότητος α′. Ὅτι παραδοτὴ ἡ ἀρετὴ α′. Περὶ τοῦ ὄντος α′. Περὶ εἱμαρμένης α′. Περὶ παθῶν α. Περὶ βίων α′. Περὶ ὁμονοίας α′ Περὶ μαθητῶν α′ β′. Περὶ δικαιοσύνης α′. Περὶ ἀρετῆς α′ β′. Περὶ εἰδῶν α′. Περὶ ἡδονῆς α′ β′. Περὶ βίου α′. Περὶ ἀνδρείας α′. Περὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς α′. Περὶ ἰδεῶν α′.
On the Child, one book. On Continence, one book. On the Useful, one book. On the Free Man, one book. On Death, one book. On the Voluntary, one book. On Friendship, two books. On Equity, one book. On Opposites, two books. On Happiness, two books. On Writing, one book. On Memory, one book. On Falsehood, one book. Callicles, one book. On Prudence, two books. Economics, one book. On Temperance, one book. On the Power of Law, one book. On the Republic, one book. On Piety, one book. That Virtue Can Be Taught, one book. On Being, one book. On Fate, one book. On Passions, one book. On Lifestyles, one book. On Concord, one book. On Pupils, two books. On Justice, one book. On Virtue, two books. On Species, one book. On Pleasure, two books. On Life, one book. On Courage, one book. On the One, one book. On Ideas, one book.
Περὶ τέχνης α′. Περὶ θεῶν α′ β′. Περὶ ψυχῆς α′ β′. Περὶ ἐπιστήμης α′. Πολιτικὸς α′. Περὶ ἐπιστημοσύνης α′. Περὶ φιλοσοφίας α′. Περὶ τῶν Παρμενίδου α′. Ἀρχέδημος ἢ περὶ δικαιοσύνης α′. Περὶ τἀγαθοῦ α′. Τῶν περὶ τὴν διάνοιαν α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′ ζ′ η′. Λύσις τῶν περὶ τοὺς λόγους ι′. Φυσικῆς ἀκροάσεως α′ β′ γ′ δ′ ε′ ς′. Κεφάλαιον α′. Περὶ γενῶν καὶ εἰδῶν α′. Πυθαγόρεια α′. Λύσεις α′ β′. Διαιρέσεις η′. Θέσεων βιβλία κμγ′. Τῆς περὶ τὸ διαλέγεσθαι πραγματείας βιβλία ιδμαβψμ′. Μετὰ τοῦτο βιβλία ιε′ καὶ ἄλλα βιβλία ις′ περὶ μαθημάτων τῶν περὶ τὴν λέξιν. Λογιστικῶν βιβλία θ′. Τῶν περὶ τὰ μαθήματα βιβλία ς′. Τῶν περὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἄλλα βιβλία δύο. Περὶ γεωμετρῶν βιβλία ε′. Ὑπομνημάτων α′. Ἐναντίων α′. Περὶ ἀριθμῶν α′. Ἀριθμῶν θεωρία α′. Περὶ διαστημάτων α′. Τῶν περὶ ἀστρολογίαν ς′.
On Art, one book. On the Gods, two books. On the Soul, two books. On Science, one book. The Statesman, one book. On Knowledge, one book. On Philosophy, one book. On Parmenides' Doctrines, one book. Archedemus, or On Justice, one book. On the Good, one book. On the Functions of Intellect, eight books. Solutions of Logical Problems, ten books. Lectures on Physics, six books. Summary, one book. On Genera and Species, one book. Pythagorean Doctrines, one book. Solutions, two books. Divisions, eight books. Theses, 243 books. Treatise on Dialectic, 14, 42, and 740 books. After this, 15 books, and another 16 books on subjects pertaining to style. Logistics, nine books. Mathematical Treatises, six books. Other Books on Intellect, two. On Geometers, five books. Commentaries, one book. Opposites, one book. On Numbers, one book. Theory of Numbers, one book. On Intervals, one book. Treatises on Astronomy, six books.
Στοιχεῖα πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον περὶ βασιλείας δ. Πρὸς Ἀρύβαν. Πρὸς Ἡφαιστίωνα. Περὶ γεωμετρίας α′ β′. Στίχοι μκβδσλθ′. Ἀθηναῖοι δ′ ὅμως αὐτὸν ὄντα τοιοῦτον ἐπίπρασκόν ποτε, τὸ μετοίκιον ἀτονοῦντα θεῖναι2. καὶ αὐτὸν ὠνεῖται Δημήτριος ὁ Φαληρεὺς καὶ ἑκάτερον ἀποκατέστησε· Ξενοκράτει μὲν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, Ἀθηναίοις δὲ τὸ μετοίκιον. τοῦτό φησι Μυρωνιανὸς ὁ Ἀμαστριανὸς ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν Ἱστορικῶν Ὁμοίων κεφαλαίων. διεδέξατο δὲ Σπεύσιππον καὶ ἀφηγήσατο τῆς σχολῆς πέντε καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη ἐπὶ Λυσιμαχίδου ἀρξάμενος κατὰ τὸ δεύτερον ἔτος τῆς δεκάτης καὶ ἑκατοστῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος. ἐτελεύτα δὲ νυκτὸς λεκάνῃ προσπταίσας, ἔτος ἤδη γεγονὼς δεύτερον καὶ ὀγδοηκοστόν.
Elements of Kingship Addressed to Alexander, four books. To Arybas. To Hephaestion. On Geometry, two books. Total lines: 224,239. Yet the Athenians, despite his being such a man, once put him up for sale because he was unable to pay the resident alien tax. Demetrius of Phalerum bought him and restored both things: freedom to Xenocrates, and the alien tax to the Athenians. This is related by Myronianus of Amastris in the first book of his Historical Parallels. Xenocrates succeeded Speusippus and presided over the school for twenty-five years, beginning in the archonship of Lysimachides, in the second year of the 110th Olympiad. He died at night after stumbling against a basin, being already eighty-two years old.
Φαμὲν δὲ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν οὑτωσί· "χαλκῇ προσκόψας λεκάνῃ ποτὲ καὶ τὸ μέτωπον πλήξας ἴαχεν ὦ σύντονον, εἶτʼ ἔθανεν, ὁ πάντα πάντη Ξενοκράτης ἀνὴρ γεγώς." Γεγόνασι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι Ξενοκράτεις ἕξ· ὅ τε τακτικὸς ἀρχαῖος σφόδρα * * καὶ ὁ συγγενὴς ἅμα καὶ πολίτης τῷ προειρημένῳ φιλοσόφῳ· φέρεται δὲ αὐτοῦ λόγος Ἀρσινοητικός, γεγραμμένος περὶ Ἀρσινόης ἀποθανούσης. τέταρτος φιλόσοφος, ἐλεγείαν γεγραφὼς οὐκ ἐπιτυχῶς. ἴδιον δέ· ποιηταὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβαλλόμενοι πεζογραφεῖν ἐπιτυγχάνουσι· πεζογράφοι δὲ ἐπιτιθέμενοι ποιητικῇ πταίουσι· τῷ δῆλον τὸ μὲν φύσεως εἶναι, τὸ δὲ τέχνης ἔργον3. πέμπτος ἀνδριαντοποιός· ἕκτος ᾅσματα γεγραφώς, ὥς φησιν Ἀριστόξενος.
We have also composed verses on him as follows: "Having struck against a bronze basin once and banged his forehead, he uttered a sharp cry and then died, he who in every way and everywhere was a true man, Xenocrates." There have also been six other men named Xenocrates: the tactical writer of very ancient times; [lacuna]; the relative and fellow citizen of the aforementioned philosopher, by whom a speech is extant entitled Arsinoëtic, written on the occasion of Arsinoë's death; a fourth, a philosopher who wrote elegies with little success—which is a curious matter, for poets succeed when attempting prose, but prose writers fail when trying poetry, whereby it is clear that the former is a work of nature, the latter of craft; a fifth, a sculptor; and a sixth who wrote songs, as Aristoxenus says.
- 4.2.11οὐκ ἄν γε, ἔφη, τὶς πρότερον τούτου.
An elliptical construction responding to the preceding threat (ἀφαιρήσεται αὐτοῦ τὸν τράχηλον). A potential optative verb such as ἀφέλοιτο is understood with ἄν, while τούτου is a genitive of comparison referring to Xenocrates' own neck (τὸν ἴδιον) which he had just pointed to: 'No one, at any rate, could cut off Plato's head before this one of mine.'
- 4.2.14τὸ μετοίκιον ἀτονοῦντα θεῖναι
The verb θεῖναι is used in the idiom of paying a tax or depositing money (equivalent to καταθεῖναι), while the participle ἀτονοῦντα denotes lack of ability or financial means ('being unable to'). Together it expresses the cause: 'being unable to pay the resident alien tax (metoikion)'.
- 4.2.15τῷ δῆλον τὸ μὲν φύσεως εἶναι, τὸ δὲ τέχνης ἔργον
The neuter dative demonstrative pronoun τῷ acts instrumentally/causally ('whereby' / 'from which it is evident that') referring to the preceding observation that poets succeed at prose while prose authors fail at poetry. It construes with δῆλον [ἐστι], followed by an accusative and infinitive where τὸ μέν and τὸ δέ have predicate genitives of characteristic (φύσεως and τέχνης ἔργον).